The Rise of Infinity
by Fiery Crusader
Summary: Finn Mertens returns after a five-year absence from the Red Throne. His friends are happy and they quickly discover he has become a mature and successful adult. A relationship is rekindled and life for Finn becomes wonderfully bliss. But when disaster strikes close at home, Ooo's famed hero suddenly becomes its dreadful conqueror. (Alternate timeline)
1. Prologue

**AN** : The following is a teaser for a future story. Enjoy!

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Princess Bubblegum stared blankly into the gloomy sky as she laid on her back. She recalled all the near death experiences she withstood in her 800 plus years. She vividly remembered the horrific moment when the Lich possessed her body and also the time when she laid helpless in Darren's clutches. There was no hope for any chance of survival in either events and Bubblegum always anticipated she was at her life's end. Against all odds however, fate seemed to be in the Candy monarch's favor and she continued to live the rest of her life, appreciating each passing day.

Until now.

Her kingdom was in shambles, desolated beyond recognition. Most of the buildings around her were burnt to a crisp and debris and rubble littered the streets. Some of the structures around her were still intact, only to collapse eventually in a smoldering ruin. Places that were once populated with hundreds of thousands of citizens were now abandoned. Streets were obstructed with cars that never had the chance to evacuate and countless bodies scattered all over the place.

PB was tired, weary, and beaten. Everything she had to defend her beloved kingdom was lost. The gumball guardians she recreated were blown into several pieces with their limbs dislodged in between streets and buildings, all the banana guards were dispatched, and the rest of her friends were either gone or missing. Silent tears poured from the monarch's cheeks as she briefly observed her surroundings.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Said a voice from afar. He was a tall figure in his forties wearing a red business suit, crimson fingerless gloves, and black dress shoes.

Bubblegum could only clench her teeth in pain as her gaze focused on the man responsible for the chaos. She had no weapons to defend herself and her strength was only enough to keep her conscious. "I can't believe you would stoop so low after everything you lived for."

He turned around enraged, "Like you're any different! You spied on everybody thinking you were free to do whatever you wanted. I trusted you 'princess'. I thought we had the same goals to maintain the balance between good and evil."

"We did," PB blurted out. "I tried to prepare for the worst case scenario-"

"Only to fail miserably," Finn interrupted with a shrewd expression. He looked away from PB and squeezed his eyes shut. A few moments later, he regained his composure. "But none of that matters now! **I** will be the one to establish absolute peace so that no one would ever suffer the same fate as I did." He pounded his chest with his right hand for emphasis.

PB asked, "You think all of this will honor **their** memory?"

Finn's face faltered as he contemplated briefly. Then he said in a low voice while clutching his right fist, "They are gone, Bonnibel. I've come to the harsh realization that nothing will ever bring them back and that it's time to move on." He clasped his hands, grinned sadistically, and asked in a sing-song voice, "That said, guess what will happen to the palace?"

She could only cry more tears in response.

"Don't worry, I think you've drowned in your failures long enough." Finn's right eye began to glow dark red as he conjured a fireball in one hand with the same color. He slowly approached the wounded monarch, lifted his left hand, and casted a powerful beam without hesitation. Bubblegum could only squeeze her eyes shut and scream in agony as excruciating pain coursed through her body. Seconds later, she remained motionless and instantly dissolved into ash. Only her crown was left behind.

Finn casually dusted his hands after the execution. As he observed his surroundings, his communicator went off. "My lord, the men are in position, awaiting your signal."

"Copy that," Finn smirked. "Fire at will, commander!"

A barrage of rockets sped towards the capital building once the order was given. A few seconds later, a series of explosions went off, followed by a massive inferno engulfing the structure. Hundreds of chunks flew aimlessly while Finn and his armies shielded their eyes from the blinding explosion. When the dust settled, everyone brushed themselves and observed the massive rubble that laid before them.

"Well, I'd say this was a productive day," Finn said cheerfully as he straightened his black bow tie with both hands. He then shifted into a serious expression, "But this is just the beginning. Soon the world will enter in a golden age of peace and prosperity with me as its leader!" He looked from the left, over his shoulder and noticed the red flag with a matching infinite symbol centered inside a black flame silhouette. It was the banner that rallied his forces approaching from the Grasslands. He smirked, "Who knows, maybe the entire universe..."

Thousands of modern soldiers clad in crimson armor marched by columns as they prepared for the next invasion. With the Candy Kingdom destroyed, the remaining core civilizations found themselves at the mercy of a new superpower rising in Ooo. Most were expected to submit swiftly to prevent themselves from facing the threat of annihilation, while others were bound to resist to the very end. Either way, the world would inevitably be governed under one flag with one absolute ruler. The hero-turned-conqueror embarked on a grandeur of conquest and adventure that day, and there was no one to stop him.


	2. The Hero's Absence

In the past, Finn Mertens started with humbled beginnings. He grew up from an isolated forest and was raised by Joshua and Margaret without ever knowing his real parents. He learned that his species as a human being was considered rare since they were the ones responsible for destroying themselves in the Third World War, which was also known as the Mushroom War. Being considered the last of his kind seemed fairly negligible at an early age. But as Finn grew older, feelings of sorrow and depression would settle occasionally in his most private moments. These were usually quelled with ease with the personal connections he made which included his surrogate family Joshua, Margaret, Jake, and Jermaine along with his friends Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, and Ice King.

Finn spent his childhood years living a life full of fighting and adventure. Exploring dungeons became a hobby, and fighting crime became a passion. He was nurtured and mentored from many teachers, one of them including Billy who singlehandedly imprisoned the infamous necromancer known as the Lich.

Life was simple for the human boy as he went about his routine. But as he reached the age of fourteen, his heart began to sought for companionship. He used to think of love and romance as repulsive, embarrassing aspects of life. But now, his heart and mind could not help but entertain the thought. He aspired that heroes overall would always have somebody special at their side, and yet here he was alone in his love life. His constant attempts to woo the Candy princess have always failed in vain however. The vast age gap they shared together along with their contrasting personalities made it irrefutable that their chance at a serious, long-term relationship was highly unlikely. Fortunately, Finn and Bubblegum ultimately maintained a mutual friendship after the fact.

As Finn was helpless to cope with his depression, his canine brother Jake traveled to the Fire Kingdom. From there, he met a flambit named Flambo who assisted his search to find a date comparable to Finn's age. What the magical canine did not realize at the time was that the person they sought turned out to be the kingdom's very own princess. An embarrassing long chain of events transpired after the discovery, leading the elemental and the human to an unsettling and awkward start.

Finn was brought out of his state of depression for the first time in weeks when his eyes met Flame Princess's. All of a sudden, his dreams of companionship were renewed with lasting vigor, more so than his heart could ever imagine. Flame Princess reciprocated her feelings with the human, but distanced herself overall because of their physical complications. She was a fire being who could burn anything with a simple touch and her elemental matrix prevented any hopes of expressing ideal affection. Despite the hardships, Finn vowed to find a solution to overcome all their obstacles by defying nature. Flame Princess was astounded from the human's act of determination and in turn stayed at his side. The two dated considerably for one year until there was an unfortunate mishap.

For the first time in their relationship, Finn Mertens lied to his girlfriend all because he wanted to see her use her powers. He was unaware of his anatomy undergoing hormonal changes back then that he was blinded with lust in his decision-making. And when he staged a near death match between FP and Ice King, his relationship with the fiery princess was immediately severed. Without any proper guidance prior before the incident, Finn's chance at long-term romance became a lost cause.

After the separation, Finn tried to rekindle his relationship with Bubblegum only to be unsuccessful. They still came across as good supporting friends, and Finn was willing to accept that. For a long while, he resumed his life without seeking companionship that his overall being gradually improved. Jake and the rest of his friends were glad, for the moment.

But then the Fire Kingdom was under siege. Flame King and Don Jon had conspired to overthrow FP's rule by using magic to brainwash the masses. And at that moment, the fiery princess was rendered powerless to seek help from the human for the first time in months. The adventurer saw this as an opportunity to win her back at his side and to fill the void that had lingered in his heart. Unfortunately, his actions during the mission were reckless and unprofessional that he failed to act out the hero FP expected him to be. When Cinnamon Bun ultimately restored order back in the Fire Kingdom, the human felt a great deal of humiliation upon himself as well as jealously. It especially didn't help the fact that he assumed the pastry guardian's public declaration of love for FP was supposedly romantic after Flame King and Don Jon were imprisoned. Even though the citizens cheered all around him upon the news, Finn stormed off back to his tree fort without a word.

Finn blamed himself as he looked back later that day. Even though when FP told him the mission wouldn't necessarily bring them back together, he knew it would have been a stepping stone at achieving such a goal in the long run. But like with breakup, he "blew it" according to his thoughts. Now there was no chance at mending things between the elemental and his heart flooded with nothing but despair. He would always imagine the "what-ifs" with his previous decisions, but could never live them out as a definite reality. He never told his brother about the mess Jake 2 left on the house however, nor did he mention anything that transpired with the Fire Kingdom. Instead, Finn went to sleep as though it had been a normal day for anyone.

The next morning, Jake discovered his brother had seemingly left the house early. The magical canine did not think of anything unusual at the time and assumed his brother went out for a jog or that he went dungeon crawling, but none of those were the case. Later that day, he contacted his friends listing from Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, Ice King, and several other princesses as a means to find Finn's whereabouts. None of them had any knowledge and it wasn't long until a massive search was conducted. Several kingdoms across the land of Ooo participated in the search for the lost champion, including the Fire Kingdom. Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months. Flame Princess was briefly blamed for Finn's disappearance in regards to being the last person who saw him, but the allegations lacked physical evidence. There was no note left behind, nor any other written documentation that indicated Finn's unexpected departure. All that was known was that he left inexplicably with nothing but the clothes on his back.

As the search continued with years now passing by, the people began to lose their hope and assume the worst for Finn the human. Some thought he went on a personal retreat, while others assumed he perished in one of his travels. Either way, the fate of Ooo drifted towards a time of uncertainty. The more days the hero became absent, the more days crime rates increased. Jake, Marceline, PB, and IK made personal efforts to quell the constant uprisings that broke out throughout the land, but the situation only became worse.

Even though Finn remained missing, there were some historic events that still took place from the original continuity. The Lemongrab Kingdom for example was liberated by Lemonhope, freeing its people from an oppressive regime run by Lemongrab 2. Simon's fiancée known as Betty Grof was brought to Ooo through a time portal with Jake and Marcy's assistance. Later on that same day, Betty would defeat a magical siphoner named Bella Noche and save Wizard City. Afterward, she traveled the world alone on a personal quest to reverse the ice crown's curse, hoping that she would someday reunite with her fiancé.

Eventually, chaos began its dominant spread across the great land of Ooo. The first indication that signaled the beginning of the end was when Maja the Sky Witch attempted a siege on the Candy Kingdom, the civilization known to have the most political influence over the others. The sky witch had a gigantic ancient sleeper named Darren to support her attack, guaranteeing her ultimate victory over her control of the entire land. The Candy Kingdom's troops and defenses were no match for the evil doers and everything seemed hopeless.

Fortunately through the combined efforts of Princess Bubblegum, Orange Princess, Jake, Marceline and the Ancient Psychic Tandem War Elephant, Maja and Darren were fatally defeated despite all odds being in the latter's favor. Countless lives were saved that day and everyone savored the peace that followed. It was short-lived however as more thieves and criminals made their own attempts at building their own reputation. A restless never-ending battle ensued shortly after within weeks, with many of them being won in the heroes' favor.

Five years later after the absence of Finn the human, the fate of the world once again hung in the delicate balance between peace and ultimate destruction. An evil insurrection organized by the Lich had begun terrorizing Ooo with a massive undead army, prompting all the kingdoms to cast aside their differences. The main heroes were also called to intervene to stop the necromancer once and for all in what would be remembered as the bloodiest battle since the day of the Mushroom War. Troops from both sides fought relentlessly with vigor using swords, shields, hammers, spears, crossbows, and magic. One side was determined to fight for survival, while the other fought mindlessly under the Lich's terrible will. As the hours passed, the forces of evil gradually gained the advantage over the Grasslands and the defenders were being forced to retreat. Unlike the others, the Lich's army operated without the reliance of food and resources. Also, their ability to surpass physical limitations gave them the winning edge in terms of endurance. Slowly but surely, the territories of Ooo fell under the necromancer, his influence spreading like a vicious plague. The heroes have tried to confront the Lich directly throughout the battle, but were always unsuccessful as his armies drove them back.

Dark times were approaching at this rate, and the only thing everyone could do apparently was pray for a miracle.


	3. World War Ooo

Green towering flames could be seen raging across the distance horizon. The sky that was once clear and sunny hours ago was now covered with thick ashen clouds. Death and destruction ensued under the Lich's army with victory seemingly inevitable. No matter how unified his enemies seemed, most of them proved incompetent in terms of combat. Still though, they fought onward out of hope and desperation. Their entire way of life was placed under dire circumstances that resisting was the only option. They knew if they were to run and hide from the necromancer it would only mean delaying their ultimate demise.

Even though the main battle took place in the Grasslands, the kingdoms of Ooo were simultaneously being invaded from the Lich's undead army. Some civilizations like the Muscle, Orange, and Jungle Kingdoms repelled their enemies considerably while others like the Hot Dog, Wildberry, and Breakfast Kingdoms quickly fell under siege. Even though the defending troops suffered heavy losses, they made a high priority for themselves to ensure the safety of their beloved monarchs on the battlefield. As long as the leaders lived, the morale of the armies would never be broken. Those who were forced into a retreat merely advanced in another direction as they rallied alongside their neighboring allies. In this case, most of the remaining forces went for the Grasslands, a desperate maneuver intended to quickly eliminate the source of the world-wide conflict.

The Lich stood idly at the Grasslands as he continuously supplied power to his troops. The necromancer smiled grotesquely as he watched and heard the screams and yells of his enemies dying. Blood spilled everywhere as far as the unholy being could see, and he was pleased with the constant chaos. It was an experience he had tremendously missed since the outbreak of the Mushroom War, and today he was proud to live through it once again.

"All shall become nothing," the necromancer mused in his thoughts. "And when it does, this entire plane of existence will be ruled with monsters."

From the west side, the Lich could see candy troops and civilians fighting in the masses attempting to push for the counterattack. The reason they managed to survive longer than expected besides the main heroes' presence was because they had a squad of giant robotic sentries called Gumball guardians that supported them on the battlefield. The laser weaponry they possessed was powerful enough to decimate people by the dozens. However, the undead army merely replenished its losses shortly after, and the defenders could only halt the advance.

From the east, the Fire Kingdom sent out its ground forces led under the direct command of Flame Princess and Cinnamon Bun. Aside from the array of catapults and golems that accompanied them, the fiery army also had its own squadron of towering robotic defenders called the Sleeping Fire Giants. Unlike the Gumball guardians, these variants shot off powerful plasma rays from their eyes that were capable of incinerating hundreds of targets within seconds. More ground was gained unlike the western side since the Fire Army had superior fighting experience. Their natural abilities to manipulate fire as a destructive element proved advantageous against the undead army. Still though, they were eventually brought into a stalemate as the Lich distributed more power to his troops to become more resilient to damage overall.

"Princess Bubblegum," Peppermint Butler radioed at the battle. "I'm getting reports that some of our allies are enroute to our position!"

PB was firing a pump-action shotgun at a few enemy grunts before replying, "Order all the other kingdoms that they need to regroup at the Grasslands right now! And I mean everyone!"

"Yes, your highness!" With that, the butler hung up.

"My liege," Colonel Candy Corn radioed in distress. "Enemy forces have downed another Gumball guardian! The left flank is sustaining heavy casualties!"

"Mobilize all nearby artillery units to reinforce their position," PB ordered. "We can't afford to lose this battle!"

After the transmission ended, Marceline yelled out from a distance, "How long can we keep this up?!" She asked as she fought in her giant bat form with her red ax bass.

"As long as it takes," the candy monarch yelled back as she re-engaged the enemy.

Ice King and Betty were shooting rays of ice from their hands, freezing upon dozens of undead troops. "They keep coming back!" Betty cried out in distress.

"I'm with the chick on this one," IK concurred panting. "I feel like I need to take a quick breather before going any longer."

PB shook her head aggravated, "There's no time! If any of us stop now, we won't have another chance." She paused as she performed a shoulder back toss on a nearby grunt. "Every second we spend is another given to the Lich. This world won't have a tomorrow if we don't stop him now! So until then, keep fighting!"

IK sighed in compliance as he began firing lightning from his fingertips. Twenty regular foot soldiers were immediately caught in the electric chain reaction in which their bodies exploded with their bones scattering in midair.

"Phoebe," PB then radioed. "What is your status?"

The fiery princess was slashing nonstop upon waves of enemies with her blue flame sword and replied, "I'm a bit busy right now! Why don't you call later?" She suggested with sarcasm.

The candy monarch rolled her eyes briefly before asking, "Any luck getting to the Lich?"

Phoebe gritted her teeth as she reverted her sword and fired a volley of explosive flame projectiles from both hands. Thirty undead troops were instantly killed with their ashes scattering the air. "What do you think I've been doing this whole time?!" She asked bitterly as she felt herself beginning to wear out.

PB shook her head apologetically, "Nevermind then, just keep up the pressure."

Phoebe sighed, "I'll call you back later when this is all over, okay?" With that the transmission ended.

"Assuming we would survive this," PB remarked in her thoughts.

Countless troops from both sides continued to fall as the battle progressed. The defending side had begun losing its morale as well their endurance. Melee weapons began to weigh heavier as they swung them tirelessly at their foes that their defenses were left open as a result. Some collapsed from the armor and shields they equipped in battle, while others dropped their arms out of hopelessness and resignation. Even when the armies from the other kingdoms gathered at their location, the Lich's forces continued to grow stronger in strength and in numbers. From a bird's eye perspective, the undead army surrounded the defending troops at Ooo's territorial boundaries that the latter was forced to gather at the Grasslands. Within a few minutes, all the survivors and heroes found themselves fighting alongside each other, back to back.

"We're completely surrounded!" A candy knight shouted in despair as he darted his eyes back and forth.

"Rattleballs is down!" Another cried out as he noticed the gumball droid collapse with sparks coming off his body.

"Oh, Glob!" Lumpy Space Princess cried out hysterically as she flew wildly in circles. "We're so-ho-ho dead!"

"Hold the line!" Colonel Candy Corn roared with his his rapier held up high.

Cinnamon Bun was dispatching a dozen enemy grunts with his signature lance before calling out, "We'll need to do something now if we're gonna make this!" Suddenly, a nearby explosion took place near his left side and he formed a panicked expression, "Giant-Four is down! Our lines have been cut off!" Within seconds, he watched an entire platoon of 50 elementals burst into ashes who were caught in the blast radius.

Moments later, another deafening explosion boomed across the horizon.

"We've lost another Gumball guardian," Peppermint Butler reported on the radio with sweat running down his forehead.

PB lost her composure upon hearing the news and replied, "It's hopeless, get all defending forces to pull back! I repeat, pull back!"

A tense silence lingered on the other side of the transmission before the butler replied, "It is too late to retreat now, princess. The Lich has routed our forces.. There is no escape now..." He concluded with his head bowed down.

"..Then the universe is doomed," PB stated solemnly with tears running down her face. Her friends and close allies were still surviving, but she became distraught overtime as she watched them sustain wounds and injuries that gradually slowed them down altogether. One by one, each hero fell to the ground with blood and dirt splattered onto them. Some were rendered unconscious with their bodies laying motionless, while others yelled in pain with their eyes squeezed shut. Never had the pink monarch imagined she would experience such an atrocious reality to see her friends suffer. She had mostly lived under a constant mindset to sacrifice her social life in the name of responsibility so she could protect everybody she cared about, but the results lead to nothing. Right now the Lich exerted his dominance with his undead forces, and the friendly reinforcements whom PB depended on diminished swiftly in suit. The only thing she could think of at that moment was to wonder if her lost champion Finn would make a difference had he never disappeared from the land of Ooo.

"I guess it doesn't really matter anymore," PB thought hopelessly as she dropped her empty weapon and fell to her knees warily. The constant chaos and the radio chatter gradually became deafened to her ears that she was ready to embrace the eternal darkness with her fallen allies. A nearby undead trooper noticed her withdrawn form as he slayed a candy guard with his sword that he formed a grotesque expression as he began taking a few steps forward. Bubblegum met his dark green gaze as he approached her and it didn't take long until he slowly twisted his upper body to swing his weapon for the neck. What PB didn't realize at the time was that she was being restrained with her arms extended outward from one trooper each. Her head leaned back as she focused the blade being raised higher and higher, and she prayed her death would be quick and painless.

Surpisingly, it never came. As it turned out, the executioner lowered his weapon with a baffled expression as he gazed over Bubblegum towards the distant skies. Even the necromancer himself became surprised for a brief moment upon the sudden development, but his eyes narrowed shortly after.

"The human returns," the Lich said with profound excitement as he sensed Finn's presence. His long protruding fingers curled and clasped together one by one, "Now his failure will be complete!"

A vast new army was seen approaching on the distant horizon by land, air, and sea that the only thing the Lich could do was smile grotesquely. As far as he was concerned, he would have the luxury to bask another bloodbath that was surely bound to happen for the next opposition. He just had to wait for it in the meantime.


	4. The Hero's Return

**Opening theme** : Bad Company

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A short-range missile made its swift approach towards the Grasslands. As it flew over the vast green region, most of the armies from both sides paused upon curiosity until it finally struck the ground and exploded on impact. When the blast subsided, a dozen undead troops under the Lich's command fell victim with their limbs scattering aimlessly in midair. Another missile followed shortly after, once again bypassing Ooo's defending forces that mainly consisted of candy knights and fire elementals and instead targeted another small group of undead troops. The necromancer frowned for a moment as his armies were repelled momentarily, but later became indifferent.

"This battle will end the same one way or another," the Lich assured himself in his thoughts. "The human boy has merely spared this pitiful world a few more minutes till its ultimate destruction." He grinned sadistically, "And I will reign supreme nonetheless as intended."

Morale for the defending forces quickly soared as a barrage of friendly ordinance decimated upon hundreds of enemy troops. Even though they were not properly acquainted with their new coming ally, it was clear enough for them to realize that the latter were also opposed to the Lich's dastardly intentions. No sooner did the defenders realize that the newcomers approached quickly by the masses with modern armored personnel carriers, mobile battle tanks, and regular troop transport trucks. Most of the ground vehicles were seen sporting a blue, green, and white camouflage scheme with a dark olive green infinity symbol placed inside a circle background with the same color of a lighter shade. As the vehicles rolled closer in range, a hail of bullets and ordinance were exchanged from their location and the undead army dwindled in large clusters. From the skies, a massive fleet of attack jets classified as F-14s soared loudly across the region at super sonic speeds. If their engines weren't deafening enough, the ordinance they deployed added more to the intensity. Long blue fiery trails were lit as they made strafing runs across the region, claiming upon dozens of more undead troops who were unfortunate to be in the kill zones.

As the ground transports converged closer on the battlefield, a vast array of troops were seen charging rapidly in overwhelming numbers to combat against the Lich's forces. The first wave of attackers consisted of five foot tall crystal ants that varied from red to blue. Although they were unarmed, each of them were able to cast a rapid volley of lasers from their free appendages. Behind the crystal ants were the more imposing six foot tall hair apes equipped with gray-plated body armor that covered their chests, shoulders, elbows, and knees. Each of them fired a heavy Kord machine gun from the hip with its ammo belt-fed from the backpacks they also carried. Another group of hair apes were seen running alongside them with identical armor, except they had theirs in a dark blue color scheme. In addition, they carried modified drum-fed grenade launchers and other high explosive weaponry instead of the portable artillery guns.

"We got reinforcements!" A candy trooper cried out with his fist pumping in gratitude. Even though the new army suffered just as much casualties upon intervention, they were able to keep the opposing force at bay by replenishing their own units. Two armies with uncertain numbers were evenly pitted against each other, but it seemed the advantage was gradually tipping in the heroes' favor.

Colonel Candy Corn who was still alive and well in the battlefield ordered, "See if you can establish contact with them asap!"

"Um, sir," the subordinate replied. "We're being hailed already."

"Colonel," a new voice joined in the transmission. "I understand you have a worldwide crisis and that you need support."

"I'm pretty sure that's an understatement," the candy officer stated with dry humor. He then furrowed his brows as the voice somewhat sounded familiar. "Who is this?"

A small grin was spread across the person's face before he replied, "You'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, gather your troops and be ready for the final push. My men will provide close air support."

Shortly after the transmission, the undead army sustained a critical break in their lines from another airstrike. With a large gap formed between themselves and the necromancer, the aged candy officer took the opportunity to rally the remaining troops under his command for one swift victory.

"There's our opening!" Colonel Candy Corn shouted as the flames dissipated and left an open route between the Lich's forces. He then flung his rapier bellowing, "ONWARD!"

The candy troops cheered loudly as they became reinvigorated with newfound endurance. At the same time, flame troops from the other side made the same progress and valiantly advanced against necromancer's forces. Slowly but surely, the Lich noticed his enemies setting foot near his exact location and stretched his arms to the sides with his palms outward. " **Enough** ," he said as his eyes glowed ominously. From that moment, the ground troops who were near within striking distance were flung backwards several feet with their bodies decaying to dust in seconds. Fortunately for Candy Corn, a nearby subordinate flung himself in front of the blast to save him at the expense of the latter's life. " **It is time to end this**!" He raised his arms menacingly with his palms hovering facedown.

"My words EXACTLY!" A new voice cried out.

Immediately, the Lich staggered backwards to the side as a boot clashed with his face. As he held a hand to cover his injury, the necromancer glared at the newcomer briefly before forming a horrendous smile. "So you came back to die with your city!" He stated gleefully instead of questioning.

The blonde hero who wore a navy blue leatherjacket with a white hood attached, dark blue jeans and black boots replied, "No, I've come back to save it!" With that, the two fought each other one to one. Finn was armed with his grass sword on his right hand, while the Lich fought unarmed using only his powers.

"You've killed far too many people for one day!" Finn seethed as his he swung his sword downward diagonally from the right.

The Lich merely chuckled disturbingly as he blocked the attack with one forearm and replied, "You should be thankful for the deaths your friends are receiving." He then shoved the grass blade backward which made Finn follow in suit. "It is nothing compared to what I will do with the universe.. and beyond!"

Finn snarled as he stood back with his fist tightening around the grass sword handle, "Not if I have anything to say about it!" He began swinging his blade at the necromancer again who blocked most of them with his forearms.

"Do you really think you stand a chance against me, child?" The Lich asked chuckling. He then glanced at the battle in the background before returning his gaze, "Your army, as insignificant as it seems will only further my cause! I am the one who thrives on the pain, the chaos, and the suffering. I could lose a hundred and even a thousand men, but still rise again as strong as before. Your friends can only handle so much with their feeble physical limitations while I move on everlasting."

Finn grunted as the Lich towered over him in a power struggle. The hero glanced to the sides and noticed his friends and allies dying around him that it was demoralizing to say the least. His strength began to falter as he lost his self-confidence and soon he felt himself being drowned in a state of hoplessness. Like Bubblegum, everything he worked hard to achieve was being lost in the spur of the moment. And then, there would be nothing else to show for it.

To be continued.


	5. Moment of Truth

**Chapter theme** : Metal Frenzy

* * *

There was a sense of dread going through Finn's mind as he faltered with the power struggle. He felt cold, despair, hopelessness, and the resignation that urged his body to withdraw and accept his inevitable fate. The screams of his friends dying around him subsided completely in silence and the chaos that occurred in the background became shrouded in total darkness. Finn was wondering for a brief moment on how such things could happen considering the massive armies that fought each other, but then his gaze met the Lich's and the human's thoughts became blank once more. It became tempting to lie down on the grass and rest his eyes from the strenuous fighting, but somehow the human had a hint of reluctance to do so. He just couldn't bring himself to surrender completely no matter how easy it seemed, and his mind began to snap back to reality.

From that moment, Finn realized his arch-nemesis was attempting to erode his will the same instance when they first fought each other eight years ago. The hero remembered the battle took place in an abandoned subway station after the Lich escaped from prison and how the necromancer relied on mind control throughout the encounter. However, deep down in the human's heart was an influence far greater than any dark force could ever hope to surpass.

It was the love for his friends and family that drove him.

As the battle raged on throughout the Grasslands, Finn gradually regained his bearings and fought back against the Lich in a desperate power struggle. The necromancer had managed to gain the upper hand at first by projecting illusions of despair to erode Finn's will, but was unsuccessful as Finn became more resilient. Slowly but surely, the two combatants were standing against each other evenly until both of them skipped back to give themselves space.

"Your will is strong, child," the Lich commended. "But it won't be enough!"

Finn grunted as he clenched his grass sword, "I've defeated you once and I'll do it again, bonehead!"

"All your past victories mean nothing to me," the Lich retorted. "I go beyond the strengths and limitations of any man, beast, and god! Try as you might with your pride and arrogance, but you will never prevail against the inevitable darkness!" He then fired a green plasma blast that sent Finn backwards several feet. As the human grunted to slowly recover, the Lich continued, "Your friends and the ones you hold dear are dying, child. Surrender now and I will promise them a swift and merciful death."

"Humph, some offer," Finn snarled. "But I think I'll pass!"

"Then you and everyone will die in the worst ways you could possibly imagine," the Lich threatened with a looming presence.

The hero arched his sword upwards in a side stance and taunted, "Yeah, what else is new?"

Finn and the Lich quickly closed the distance between each other as they fought once again. Finn was seen hammering his blade relentlessly at different angles, while the Lich used his forearms to absorb and parry the strikes altogether. When Finn began to tire out from exhaustion, the necromancer slightly distanced himself and began casting green flames from his palms. Finn could feel the intense heat wrap around him in seconds despite dodging the blast on the move that his back suffered second degree burns. The pain was unbearable to say the least, and yet it drove the human to continue circling around the Lich until the former gained enough momentum to leap high in the air with a two-handed sword smash. Finn roared in anger and determination as his blade was being lifted higher and higher, but then his vision blackened when the Lich countered with a left back-handed swing. Finn tumbled on the ground as he landed in a heap, but readied his sword moments later for a quick recovery.

Although Finn's mindset was fixated on persevering, his body sustained enough injuries to slow down his overall reflexes. The Lich saw this as an opportunity to take the offensive as he briskly made his approach for the melee. As he got closer, the Lich lifted his right hand and swung downwards quickly like a make-shift hatchet. Finn reacted by holding his grass blade horizontally to stop the slash in mid-swing, which lead to another power struggle. One hand held the handle and the other near the tip of the blade. Overall, the Lich battled Finn in a test of strength as the former knew his other powers were ineffective.

Finn's arms trembled as the Lich added more weight to his hand. As each second passed, Finn noticed the Lich's sharp, protruding fingers getting closer in view. His legs also shook as he tried to widen his stance, but eventually the human was forced to drop on one knee. The bony hand was bound to cut him in half in the middle from top to bottom no matter how hard the human tried, that there was only one option left.

Before the human was about to meet his gruesome end, Finn mustered all of his strength and pushed forward with his forearms and shoulders to redirect the Lich's hand far away from his body. He uttered the loudest battle cry that inspired his allies with newfound strength, but it was soon replaced with agony the moment his sight disappeared from his right eye. Although Finn was given a few more moments to live, the human fell to the ground rolling and yelled to no end as the pain only intensified. Blood could be felt running down his right cheek as he covered the wound with both hands, but nothing was working. The Lich was displeased at first when the human had stopped his previous attack, but then his expression changed to satisfaction when he saw the human's suffering. As he stood momentarily to cherish the screams that passed through his ears, the Lich then decided to grab Finn's body with one hand and smash him down repeatedly until the human became limp with a small crater underneath. It was a disheartening experience to say the least, and when the defenders of Ooo saw their champion defeated, their morale once again fell tremendously. A domino effect was underway as the undead army began inflicting more casualties that it was only a matter of time for Earth to fall completely from genocide.

"And now I shall send your soul on its way to.. **perdition** ," the Lich stated eerily in triumph as he dangled Finn up high by the throat.

"Y-you.. first!" Finn choked as he pulled out a flat, clear oval-shaped crystal from his pants pocket that fired off a beam of energy as bright as the sunlight. The Lich instantly staggered away once he took a quick glance that his arms immediately folded to cover his face. Finn fell back onto the ground with a grunt as the Lich yelled in insufferable pain with the roles now having been switched. As Finn tried to search for the rare weapon that fell from his grip, the necromancer staggered around blindly offering no defense. Finn knew his window of opportunity would be short and lost forever if he couldn't find the weapon in time, but thankfully fate fell in his favor. Steadying his aim as best as he could in a prone stance, the human fired off the remaining energy from the crystal until it crumbled to dust altogether.

The effects of the blast were fast-acting as the necromancer discovered his body being dematerialized from existence. Everything from his hands, legs, and feet began to shorten in length without a trace that all he could do was scream in despair. Ironically enough, the Lich didn't fear for his life ending only because of the fact that he wanted everyone else to share the same fate first before parting away for good. His vision of destroying the universe amounted to nothing and the enemies he swore to destroy ultimately failed. After a few seconds, his form was erased like a drawing from front to back and the battlefield quickly became silent from the latest outcome.

With the fall of the Lich, the undead armies that served under his command immediately decomposed into heaps of dust. A large collection of weapons and armor littered the field as well, leaving only the defenders to exchange uncertain glances with one another. There was so much death inflicted in one day to celebrate, yet the men cheered unanimously for the sake that the bloodshed was well and truly over. Millions of lives including civilians were lost overall, but civilization itself was given a chance to survive and rebuild in the long-run.

And so, the Battle of Ooo tipped in the heroes' favor. The Lich was finally defeated and the whole universe was set on a course to a new era of peace and tranquility. Finn's army remained strong in numbers despite taking heavy losses and the men cheered with weapons raised in the air. During the course of battle, one particular legion of humanoids distinguished itself for its bravery and servitude which would later be identified as the 222nd.

"It's.. done," Finn panted as he rolled onto his back in relief. He closed his eyes moments later and then drifted into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **AN** : Coming soon, the royals of Ooo are later on invited to a banquet onboard a nuclear aircraft carrier off the nearby coast. The party goes exceptionally well for sometime until the host requests a private audience with a certain fire elemental and a pastry guardian.

It's been two years since I've started Scorched Ooo that I should have finished long beforehand. I know I've been very busy because of the fact that I have been working two jobs, but even so I'm still able to make time. With that being said, I will push myself to update more frequently. Quality won't be rushed of course, but I'm going to see if I can finish SO sometime around February or March. Hopefully I will keep this state of mind fresh until then. Wish me luck!


	6. A Meeting of Uncertainty

It had been two weeks since Ooo had its massive-scale conflict. In the time that transpired, the newly arrived troops from Finn's army volunteered to help rebuild the kingdom's cities and landmarks. The royals of Ooo were grateful to accept their services, but at the same time felt anxious about their newfound allies. They had more food and resources to recuperate their losses, modern technology that no kingdom has hoped to match, and numbers large enough to conquer Ooo itself despite its losses from the Lich. While several officers and representatives asserted that their intentions were simply peaceful and of good will, the monarchs still remained skeptical that there was a hidden agenda. They may have stopped the Lich's forces, but the people of Ooo still had no idea what to think about them. There were a lot of questions that needed to be addressed that an urgent meeting at the Candy Kingdom was made between the royals.

"So," Princess Bubblegum began. "As we already know, we are on friendly relations with the army that has helped us defeat the Lich. But as much as I would like to sit back and be content with that, I am concerned about their overall capabilities."

"What do you mean?" Breakfast Princess asked. "Ever since they got here, we've been able to achieve a rapid recovery with our lands in days in what should have been done in a matter of years!"

"Which worries me," PB interrupted. "They are able to compensate for their losses as though they were nonexistent! None of our armies can compete with theirs even as a unified force. They have absolute control of the skies as well as the seas!" She stood up and clicked on the nearby tv screen with a remote. "Take a look right here," she instructed. "That's an armada of battleships ported over at the westcoast harbor. All they have to do is aim their guns inland and level everything until there is nothing left."

"To be fair," Orange Princess cut in. "They did ask for our permission-"

"As if we're going to say no?" PB asked mockingly. "We have no choice about whether or not they ask us for anything. The fact that they even bother to make such a gesture is almost insulting!"

"I think we're overthinking things," Phoebe stated. "If these people would have wanted to wage conquest against us, they would have done so already." As she stated this, several royals nodded in agreement.

"Unless they decide to learn more about us first," PB argued.

"And lead us on?" Phoebe asked sighing. "Look, I won't deny the army's strengths, but I also won't deny from the fact that they risked their own lives to stop the Lich, thereby saving the world. We should be in debt to their gratitude more so than anything."

"We are in their debt," PB concurred. "And if they decide to one day ask us something that'll bring us to compromise in a way we see unfit, it will end badly for all of us."

"Why must you sound so pessimistic?" Space Angel Princess asked. "Why can't we just appreciate what they're doing for us and leave it at that?"

"Because they are a very real and dangerous threat," PB stated solemnly. "All it takes is one impulse and that's the end of the story."

"Maybe instead of fearing the worst case scenario," Jungle Princess suggested. "How about we see this as an advantage to quelling any of our enemies that may come upon us in the future?"

"It will mean that we would have to form a partnership," PB answered. "A partnership in which we will be at its mercy, with no real control."

"This is just ridiculous!" Wildberry Princess yelled as she slammed the long conference table. "We shouldn't be paranoid over the people who helped us. That'll just make us look like a bunch of traitorous and cowardly backstabbers!"

PB hung her shoulders and sighed, "Look, I want to be friends with them. I really do. It's just..."

Everyone leaned forward to listen attentively.

"I just want to know who's in charge," PB continued. "Every time I asked for an audience, I have always been turned down to ease my skepticism. And I take it none of you have been given the chance to meet with their leader?"

Everyone shook their heads solemnly. "If we did," Phoebe answered. "We would have shared it."

Suddenly the doors to the conference room opened as Colonel Candy Corn walked in. "Pardon the intrusion, your majesties," he said as he approached Bubblegum. "I have been given a message that requires your utmost attention."

PB took the envelope that Candy Corn handed to her and noticed a green infinity symbol printed on the back. After realizing who it was from, she read the letter enclosed with it for a long minute.

"Well," Breakfast Princess asked impatiently. "What does it say?"

"It's an invitation," PB replied while keeping her eyes fixed on the paper. "The leader of.. Möbius Industries wants all of us to meet him for a banquet where he will discuss a business proposition that could be mutually beneficial in everyone's interests."

"Does he dive into specifics?" Phoebe asked.

"The event is scheduled three days from now at noon," PB replied. "We are to meet him onboard his capital ship that will arrive at the western harbor. Friends, families, and diplomats alike are welcome."

"Better make our first impressions count then," Marceline spoke up. "And hopefully, we'll get along nice and easy."

Everyone began to leave shortly after as they returned to their respective kingdoms. As Bubblegum watched the room become empty with less people, her assistant Peppermint Butler whispered to her, "There have been rumors that our long-lost hero could be in league with this organization. From what I heard, several witnesses say they saw a humanoid fighting the Lich with a grass-like sword with a white hood."

PB cupped her chin in deep thought as she let it settle in her mind before saying, "If that is the case, then perhaps I shouldn't worry too much. I just hope that we'll be able to see him at the banquet as well..."

What she didn't realize at the time was that she and all the others were in for a real surprise.


End file.
